Dr. Yuchi Chou

“Fierce, with graceful gestures and attention to detail.”-KlasikaPlus.cz

Dr. Yuchi Chou, a Taiwan-born conductor and pianist, shapes music with a voice that is both refined and deeply expressive, cultivating an international career marked by artistic vision and thoughtful leadership. Since her appointment as Music Director and Conductor of the Seattle Festival Orchestra in 2023, she has guided the ensemble with exhilarating energy and nuance, while also inspiring young musicians as Conductor of the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra’s Junior Symphony Orchestra since 2022. From 2022 to 2025, she served as assistant conductor to Dr. Anna Edwards with the Seattle Collaborative Orchestra.

Her work has drawn recognition from leading musical institutions around the world. In 2024, she was selected by the International Conductors Guild to conduct the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra under the mentorship of JoAnn Falletta. A prizewinner of the 2021 International Conductors Competition and Workshop in Atlanta and finalist in the International Ernő Lányi Competition, she has also been shaped by fellowships with the Vienna Philharmonic at the Salzburg Festival, Aspen Music Festival, and Allentown Symphony.

As both conductor and pianist, Dr. Chou has performed in some of the world’s most celebrated halls, including Carnegie Hall, Chicago Symphony Hall, San Francisco’s Davies Symphony Hall, and Cleveland’s Severance Hall. She earned her Doctorate in Conducting from Northwestern University, following studies at the San Francisco Conservatory and Oberlin Conservatory.

Based on Mercer Island, Dr. Chou balances a vibrant musical life with a love of teaching and mentoring private piano students. She also serves as President of the Bellevue Federated Music Club and finds quiet joy in tending her backyard beehive—a different kind of orchestra with the gentle symphony of her honeybees.